Started with M3, 335i, Supra, iS250, and now iS350...keeping this car for awhile
07-22-13, 05:27 PM
#1
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Started with M3, 335i, Supra, iS250, and now iS350...keeping this car for awhile
Hello folks, i'm kinda new to this forum but i've been on BMW and Supra forums for ever...
Used to have a bunch of Hondas and Integra including the Elusive Type R...first real performance car was an 04 M3.
04 M3 - Great car, will always be one of my favorite ever...however, it got expensive to maintain and I was getting older so couldn't deal with the bumps and noises.
335i - Very smooth car, great gas mileage when not under boost...i had it modded with piggy back ecu, DP, exhaust, intake, was pushing close to 400whp. This car is a monster with a few dollars worth of mods, absolutely destroys a lot of cars out there on the road and still be able to whisper to your significant other driving it around. Well with great power come responsibility, maintenance issues and warranty issues started to arise. Fuel pump kept giving out, and the turbos were beginning to show signs of fatigue...i wanted more power but i knew it was impossible to get to where i want at the time. So i sold it.
97 Supra 6sp Turbo - Bought it already built to the specs i want, around 1000 fly hp, roughly 820hp to the wheels was best dyno on C16. Car was stupid fast, first time i took it out on empty hway and punched it i almost crapped my pants...and went deaf from the exhaust and almost choked on the fumes from running straight pipes. Well worth it, car attracted a lot of attention, wanted and unwanted. If you can't afford a Supercar, a built Supra will scratch your itch. I probably would've kept it if i lived in Florida or something, but emission laws are strict up here and cops are *******s, they'll pull you over for anything. Getting older as well, needed something with decent power and comfort and luxury. Sold the Supra for more than what i bought it for.
Told myself to get out of the car scene, enough time and money has been spent on it. I found a nice 06 iS250 AWD loaded for sale for cheap. It had 90 something thousand miles on it but drove as if it were new, very smooth engine, and transmission shifts so smooth. Lacked power though, it did its job over the winter that i owned it. However things i didn't like about it was the tan carpet, and it was a bit slow, and the backseat is really cramped for passengers. I sold it, again, made a few hundred bucks out of it after owning it for almost a year.
I recently ran into a deal on an 08 Is350 with Luxury package and Nav and ML. Not sure how i got so lucky but seller posted it and i saw ad right away, came to see car, and offered him 22.5K for it and he took it, 28k miles on the odometer, no accident and he was original owner, mid 50's and took real good care of it. Car still smelled new and looks new, the color combo i wanted with the options i wanted.
This would be my first time driving the 350, first day driving it, came to the onramp going 2x the safety speed posted and the car felt nicely planted, as soon as the road straightened up and i didnt see any car i floored it...wow, car has some kick to it, nowhere near the 335i and Supra but it was enough to put a smile to my face and the whole time i was sipping on my latte'...sound system sounded good, the black carpet look clean and the backseats had a little more room. Car also had HIDs that my iS250 didn't have. It was love at first drive, back of my mind i said to myself this is it, low mileage, clean car, my color combo...i think i'm going to keep it till at least 100K miles.
I tell you guys one thing though, i felt more confident in my iS350 than my 335i in terms of cornering, many people and magazine will tell you a 335i will handle better, and maybe it does...but to me i felt more stable in the iS..perhaps cuz it's so smooth..
Sorry for the long post but this car is awesome...i'm just going to do a lip kit, wald rear spoiler, and some clean OEM looking 19's to finish the look. Then call it a day, it's a shame i couldn't find any decent for sale rims in the classified, a lot of gangster type wheels that look like they weigh a ton, or just weird looking wheels. Hoping to pick up a good used set but looks like i have to get a new set somewhere.
Here are some pics of my previous cars if you guys want to see..
M3
335i
Supra
iS250 all i got
iS350 is under construction
Used to have a bunch of Hondas and Integra including the Elusive Type R...first real performance car was an 04 M3.
04 M3 - Great car, will always be one of my favorite ever...however, it got expensive to maintain and I was getting older so couldn't deal with the bumps and noises.
335i - Very smooth car, great gas mileage when not under boost...i had it modded with piggy back ecu, DP, exhaust, intake, was pushing close to 400whp. This car is a monster with a few dollars worth of mods, absolutely destroys a lot of cars out there on the road and still be able to whisper to your significant other driving it around. Well with great power come responsibility, maintenance issues and warranty issues started to arise. Fuel pump kept giving out, and the turbos were beginning to show signs of fatigue...i wanted more power but i knew it was impossible to get to where i want at the time. So i sold it.
97 Supra 6sp Turbo - Bought it already built to the specs i want, around 1000 fly hp, roughly 820hp to the wheels was best dyno on C16. Car was stupid fast, first time i took it out on empty hway and punched it i almost crapped my pants...and went deaf from the exhaust and almost choked on the fumes from running straight pipes. Well worth it, car attracted a lot of attention, wanted and unwanted. If you can't afford a Supercar, a built Supra will scratch your itch. I probably would've kept it if i lived in Florida or something, but emission laws are strict up here and cops are *******s, they'll pull you over for anything. Getting older as well, needed something with decent power and comfort and luxury. Sold the Supra for more than what i bought it for.
Told myself to get out of the car scene, enough time and money has been spent on it. I found a nice 06 iS250 AWD loaded for sale for cheap. It had 90 something thousand miles on it but drove as if it were new, very smooth engine, and transmission shifts so smooth. Lacked power though, it did its job over the winter that i owned it. However things i didn't like about it was the tan carpet, and it was a bit slow, and the backseat is really cramped for passengers. I sold it, again, made a few hundred bucks out of it after owning it for almost a year.
I recently ran into a deal on an 08 Is350 with Luxury package and Nav and ML. Not sure how i got so lucky but seller posted it and i saw ad right away, came to see car, and offered him 22.5K for it and he took it, 28k miles on the odometer, no accident and he was original owner, mid 50's and took real good care of it. Car still smelled new and looks new, the color combo i wanted with the options i wanted.
This would be my first time driving the 350, first day driving it, came to the onramp going 2x the safety speed posted and the car felt nicely planted, as soon as the road straightened up and i didnt see any car i floored it...wow, car has some kick to it, nowhere near the 335i and Supra but it was enough to put a smile to my face and the whole time i was sipping on my latte'...sound system sounded good, the black carpet look clean and the backseats had a little more room. Car also had HIDs that my iS250 didn't have. It was love at first drive, back of my mind i said to myself this is it, low mileage, clean car, my color combo...i think i'm going to keep it till at least 100K miles.
I tell you guys one thing though, i felt more confident in my iS350 than my 335i in terms of cornering, many people and magazine will tell you a 335i will handle better, and maybe it does...but to me i felt more stable in the iS..perhaps cuz it's so smooth..
Sorry for the long post but this car is awesome...i'm just going to do a lip kit, wald rear spoiler, and some clean OEM looking 19's to finish the look. Then call it a day, it's a shame i couldn't find any decent for sale rims in the classified, a lot of gangster type wheels that look like they weigh a ton, or just weird looking wheels. Hoping to pick up a good used set but looks like i have to get a new set somewhere.
Here are some pics of my previous cars if you guys want to see..
M3
335i
Supra
iS250 all i got
iS350 is under construction
07-22-13, 06:20 PM
#4
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congrats on the is350. great deal @ that price with that mileage.
no way you had a crazy modified supra and you're going to keep this simple with mods, i call bs on that haha
no way you had a crazy modified supra and you're going to keep this simple with mods, i call bs on that haha
07-22-13, 09:42 PM
#5
Nice, I'm surprised you did not go with a ISF considering the previous cars you had lol. Nice E92, am jealous! You had the perfect combo, AW E92 fully loaded with red interior. What other issues did you have with it besides HPFP & turbos? I currently have the wastegate rattle on mine, good thing the turbos are warrantied till 82k miles. & yeah I agree, chipped & bolt on 335i is VERY fun
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07-23-13, 05:34 AM
#11
Driver
Thread Starter
Thanks guys...
The reason i did not get an iS-F is because it's hard to find. The only one around here was asking too much with too many miles.
I'm very happy with the 350, i can take cross country road trips with it and be confident. Which i plan on doing one day...drive from VA to San Diego, up the coast of Cali and take the nothern route through north dakota and montana to NY back to home...
The reason i did not get an iS-F is because it's hard to find. The only one around here was asking too much with too many miles.
I'm very happy with the 350, i can take cross country road trips with it and be confident. Which i plan on doing one day...drive from VA to San Diego, up the coast of Cali and take the nothern route through north dakota and montana to NY back to home...
07-23-13, 06:35 AM
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I enjoyed your post! I have to agree on the handling comment you made. I have a is250 awd on coilovers with stock wheels/tires and I feel much more confident with regards to stability and turning in the IS than I did in my old G35 coupe with coils, sways, and strut bar.
07-23-13, 10:25 AM
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Great post and solid rides through the years! I thought I got a deal when I just picked up an 06 350 in May with 38k for that price, you got a steal lol. I've also had much faster cars in the past but agree that this is the best overall handling/power/ride quality combo I've owned. I must say- after recently putting on the Joe Z intake tube, F sport filter, and the F spot lower box- the car really wakes up. Good to see more local guys with 350's!
